There were over 9,000 attendees at the 2017 Commodity Classic last week, about half of those farmers, and the majority of them can claim some of the direct or indirect jobs supported by the ethanol industry.

According to the latest study by ABF Economics, the U.S. ethanol industry added $42.1 billion to the nation’s gross domestic product in 2016 and supported nearly 340,000 jobs.

“The ethanol industry continues to make a significant contribution to the U.S. economy in terms of job creation and generation of tax revenue, and to agriculture and rural economies in particular,” said Renewable Fuels Association senior vice president Geoff Cooper during an interview at Commodity Classic last week. “Those jobs really trickle through to the entire economy, whether it’s truck drivers, or vendors, or jobs in the rail industry.”

In this interview, Cooper also talks about how ethanol officially breached the blend wall in 2016.
Interview with Geoff Cooper at Commodity Classic

2017 Commodity Classic Photo Album